Richard M. Simon, July 27, 1943 – May 9, 2024, was a beloved brother and brother-in-law of Florine Bender Marks and Hank Marks; born in St Louis to the late Leon and Rose Simon; loving father of Jonathan Simon and Noah Simon (Julie Daniels); adored grandfather of Rose Simon; beloved uncle of Lisa Bender (Jeff Mermelstein) and Howard Bender (Kathie Bender); great uncle to Wolf Mermelstein, Rabbi Hannah Bender, and Juniper Bender; beloved life partner to Sharon Sterling; and cousin and friend to many. Graveside services were held Friday, May 10, 2024 in Clarksburg, Maryland at Gan Zikaron Memorial Park.
Richard was born in St. Louis and graduated from U-City High school, where he found and mastered a love of mathematics, cultivated by a 7th grade math teacher. Richard later went to Washington University where he received a Doctoral degree in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science. After a 2-year stint in the Public Health Service in Washington DC, Rich began working at the National Institute of Health, where he spent his entire career. As a biostatistician, Rich became associate director of the Division of Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis, director of the Biometric Research Program, and chief of the Computational and Systems Biology Branch. Rich pioneered many of the statistical methods in cancer clinical trials used today. Additional details of Rich’s scientific accomplishments in biostatistics can be found on the NIH’s and Richard’s website. More so, both of Rich’s sons, Jonathan and Noah, have followed suit, becoming very accomplished scientists.
Besides his work in biostatistics, Rich had other varied interests, including playing many musical instruments, listening to a variety of music, especially bluegrass (which he also loved to dance to). He was an avid sailing enthusiast, having learned when he was a sea scout as a teenager in a troop at Shaare Emeth Temple. He also loved to build furniture and horseback ride.
Rich not only made a significant impact on the world scientifically, but also personally. He was an incredibly kind, thoughtful man with no pretenses about him. He had a keen, cutting sense of humor that kept on going. Rich never stopped asking questions and cared deeply about the activities and lives of his family, friends, and colleagues. His heart will never be forgotten.
